It's 4 in the morning. I'm sick and exhausted and I can't sleep because every time I get close I swallow and this causes horrible discomfort. I've gone through half a bottle of throat spray and a good deal of aspirin all to no effect. Anybody know of any medicine or home remedies that work particularly well? At this point I'd wrangle and molest a venomous cobra if I thought it would help.

Honey and milk, according to my dear old Mom, and it always seemed to work for me, although how much of that is placebo I couldn't say, but I can tell you I still use it today.
Either that or stop chugging so much sausage

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And now our dreams are true, we don't know what to do
For we don't like it here, there's nothing for us to fear
Bored mindless in Utopia

Honey and milk, according to my dear old Mom, and it always seemed to work for me, although how much of that is placebo I couldn't say, but I can tell you I still use it today.
Either that or stop chugging so much sausage

Hell, I'll try it. And I choose to believe my sore throat is unrelated to any frantic homosexual activities I may or may not have engaged in.

Gargling with salt (or baking soda) will kill any surface bacteria that may be causing the soreness, but a strong mouthwash - like Listerine - will do much the same thing. But if it's not caused by a bacteria it won't help much. I'd recommend trying to find Cepacol throat drops. They're IMO, more effective than the sprays. I also find that jello is very soothing with a sore throat, and it has fewer detrimental side effects than dairy.

Gargling with salt (or baking soda) will kill any surface bacteria that may be causing the soreness, but a strong mouthwash - like Listerine - will do much the same thing.

Alcohol mouthwashes destroy good bacteria too, however. That can end up making things worse by allowing bad bacteria to colonize more rapidly. It's like carpet bombing to kill weeds; the trees are cleared away and the weeds that remain can spread more easily/freely.

Also, as was mentioned by ADD, milk is bad when you're congested in any way; it causes mucus buildup.

Alcohol mouthwashes destroy good bacteria too, however. That can end up making things worse by allowing bad bacteria to colonize more rapidly. It's like carpet bombing to kill weeds; the trees are cleared away and the weeds that remain can spread more easily/freely.

So will either salt or baking soda. That's the trade-off, same with antibiotics.